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BMW M760Li xDrive Review – The Ultimate in Luxury or Arrest-Me-Now Highway Blaster

BMW M760Li xDrive
The M7 Series has been considered the well behaved, extremely civil and almost sedate line of BMW vehicles. Rich in luxury, advanced technology and reliable German engineering, the 7 series is BMW’s answer to Mercedes-Benz S Class.
MAR 26, 2018

And then Mercedes-Benz decided jazz it up a little bit and gave their S Class to their tuner shop and created the Mercedes-Benz AMG S63, a ride that is distinctly not in the limo driver mold. The AMG S63 is very expensive, and it’s selling like hotcakes.

Not to be outdone, the other German company in the luxury sedan market, BMW, weaponized its 7 Series and produced the M760Li xDrive, the most powerful automobile BMW has ever manufactured. With just a few exceptions, the M760 Li looks like the luxury sedan that it is supposed to be. But once you slide behind the wheel and power it up, you’ll discover this luxury ride can be one exciting driving experience.

BMW M760Li xDrive Review Exterior 
BMW M760Li xDrive Review Interior

Two Tons of Zoom-Zoom BMW M760Li xDrive Review

To borrow a tag line from Mazda, BMW definitely put a lot of zoom-zoom in this 2.2-ton ride. Under the hood resides a 6.6L twin-turbo, V12 engine (similar to the V12 used by Rolls Royce) that delivers 602 horsepower and 590 lb-ft of torque. That’s the most powerful engine BMW has ever used in a production car. But the real magic happens when BMW’s xDrive kicks in and delivers almost all of the torque directly to the wheels thanks to its low-rev torque transfer system. This ride steps out quickly.

The M760Li is a seriously fast vehicle. Zero to sixty takes 3.7 seconds on the way to a top speed of 205 mph. That’s powerfully quick for a 4,400-pound car. And the “zoom-zoom” isn’t confined to the straight away. This big, honking sedan can carve up corners as well. Thanks to AWD, 4 Wheel Steering. and Active Road Stabilization, the M760L1 can perform like a Le Mans racer albeit with a catch.

BMW M760Li xDrive Review

Performance Without the Drama

While the amazing acceleration may have you thinking you are in a Jaguar F-Type JVR, the maneuvering experience is almost eerily calm. The M760Li is, first and foremost, a 7 Series luxury sedan. Unlike the AMG designs, there is no howling exhaust tone. There is a modest growl from the V12 even when it’s being prodded by a lead foot. The interior remains quiet and sedate. If you are a passenger and you close your eyes while the driver attacks a curve, you may not know you have changed directions. There is no body roll and the seats are so heavily bolstered that any lateral Gs simply go unnoticed.

This car was designed to be best enjoyed from the back seat (which is absolutely palatial). If you are a Very Important (rich) Person and you employ a driver, you can relax in the reclining back seat, put your feet up in the footrest, and enjoy the vehicle’s performance without being bothered with actually driving it.

Luxury in Excess

To list all the technical goodies in this ride would take an article of its own. The highlights are pretty impressive and gives you an idea of how some people demand more from their vehicle than adequate head and leg room and a good climate control system.

The back seat is where all the excess resides. Push a button for “executive seating” and the front seat goes forward, a footrest appears, while the heated, ventilated, massaging, backseat reclines into the “relaxed” position. If you want to get some work done during the ride, you’re in luck. In the console next to the “boss’s seat” there is an airplane type tray stored which can unfold on your lap providing a desk. Thirsty? A small refrigeration unit is also included to provide you with the chilled beverage of your choice.

A 10” removable tablet is also found on the console that replicates the infotainment system controls. With this device, you can control all the essential features of your ride like changing the ambient lighting or the audio balance.

Of course, there is a panoramic sunroof, a cell phone charging station, rear seat and rear window sunshades, Wi-Fi hot spot, and seatback entertainment screens. There are so many buttons for luxury controls, it is unlikely that the owner will learn them all before he or she trades the car in for a new one.

BMW M8 Concept

So, is the M760Li a rocket or a royal barge? Actually, it’s a bit of both. One thing for sure, it appeals to the owner’s ego and sense of self-worth.

What could top this luxury ride? In the 2018 Geneva International Motor Show, BMW introduced the M8 Concept. It doesn’t look like a concept at all but more like a production ready vehicle. M760Li owners had better hurry up and learn all the buttons before the M8 hits the showroom!